Explosive and process of making same



' UNITED S'rnrns ATEN'T rricn.

GERSHOM MOORE'PETERS, OF C INCINNATI, OHIO.

sxpLoslvs AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

srnomrcumnamieg aaeeswms Patent No."d17-,166, dated January i7,1see.

' Application filed November 1?, 1897. Serial No, 658,825. (No p cimen To all nto/y concern.-

Be it known that LuGERSHOM Moonn Pn- TERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnathin the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and use-- ful Improvement in Processes and Products Pertaining to Explosive Compounds, of which the following is a specification. 9

Thisinvention rel'atesto a process and product pertaining to explosive compounds especially adapted for use in connection with ordnance and firearms, and this application for patent is filed in place of application Serial :No. 589,764, filed April 30, 1896, by me. Commonly two classes of explosives have been applied to such uses, and these were designated nitro-powder and black powder. Nitro-powder. usually develops a very high veiooity andis free lr'on'i mlllukebi gas which fouls; but, on the other hand, itisliable to be set off by concussion, it is not always stable or uniform in strength, it is slew of ignition, it commonly develops a high and dangerouls pressure, and it is sensitive to changes of temperature or atmosphere. Black powder is safer to handle than nitro-powder,is more uniform and reliable, and has a low pressure; but it develops excessive smoke, causes caking or leading in the gun, and has notsufficient velocity, strength, and range for use in modern arms. The present invention is designed to secure most of the advantages of the nitro-powder and black powder and at the same time avoid the objections to each of them... i i l r I The invention will now be 'described, and then specificallypointed out in the claims.

As one offthe ingredients for this new 'explosive a cellulose material is utiliz d, and it is within the scope of the invention to use any well-known species offcellulose material,' all- "though wood-pulp is the preferable species for the purpose.

. otheringredients to he used. 'Besideawood,

ployed in nitro-powders. 1

The first step in the process is to red uce the I W'ood-pulp-is preferable to other kinds of cellulose material as, for instance, cotton-because it is more friable and much more easily reduced'to dust, so as to on able it to be more perfectly united with the cellulose material to an irn-palp'abld dust by a mechanical processass, for example, by means of revolving barrels containing metallic balls. The dust is then treated with an acid formed of two parts of sulfuric acid to "one of nitric, or substantially these proportions. It is then thoroughly "washed until it becomes neutralized-,and afterward dried,and

then it is ready for mixing with the other in- 'gredients. Next saltpeter, charcoal,. and brim'etone are prepared in the usual way commonly employed in making black powder and remains under these wheels for several hours,

being during this timeke twell moistened and remaining thereuuti the four ingredients have been'worked into what is a single substance differing in quality and-nature from other powders orfrom an aggregation of the elements of the two powders commonly known. The unskilled or ignorant would regard this dangerous process, but followed properly as above indicated. it is not espeeiallydangerous and is entirely practical.

After. the incorporation above indicated the new material is put'underhydraulic pressure about equal to that used in pressing black:

powder and is reduced in a'well-lgnown way I to -cakes or slabs. It is then run through a coming-mill and granulated, the sizes resembling those of black powder. It is then thoroughly dried, rubbed smooth in turnhling-barrels, separated into the various grains, and packed. It maybe giazedwith' plurnba'go for some purposes; Tout ordinarilyiiij-is preferable to dispense with glazing materiai. p v

' The powder resulting from this processhas qualities quite unlike either nitro-powder or J black powder and advantages above and beyond-such powders, and it therefore forms a new and important addition to the list of explosives. It is very clean, has little or no corrosivr effect upon the gun, is free from dense foul smoke, is quicker in ignition than black powder, and has a higher velocity than ordinary nitro-po'wder and yet with a breechpressure very considerably less. As a riflepowder it has peculiar excellence. For eX- ample, it gives a muzzle velocity far in excess ofthat ordinarily possible with nitropowder, and yet it will not cause stripping of the softest lead ball or leading of the gun or, as it is termed, Wild shooting. It is more accurate, uniform, and reliable than either nitro or black powder.

It is,'indeed, a new product with its own peculiarities.

It is manifest that slight variations and modifications may be made by those experienced in the art without departing from the principle of the process and product above described. 4

What I claim as new, and. desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'

1. The process of making an explosive compound, consisting in separately reducing to a dust cellulose, saltpeter, charcoal and brimstone then nitratin g, washing and drying the cellulose-dust; next, thoroughly mixing the dust of the four ingredients; then thoroughly incorporating the mass untilit is practically worked into a single'substance; and finally granulating such substance: substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The process of making an explosive coin pound, which consists in separately reducing to a dust wood-pulp, saltpeter, charcoal and brimstone; applying sulfuric and nitric acids to the wood-pulp dust substantially in the proportions described, and washing and drying the same; mixing the nitrated dust and the dust of the saltpeter, charcoal. and brimstone, substantially in the proportions described; subjecting the composition thus formed toincorporating-wheels until it is wnrlzed into a practically single substance, during which treatment it is wellmoistened; and finally granulating the composition: substantially as and for the purpose set forth.-

3. A new semismokeless powder composed of pulverized nitrated wood-pulp and pulverized saltpeter, charcoal and brimstone, in the proportions of twenty per cent. of nitrated wood-pulp, sixty per cent. of 'saltpeter, twelve per cent. of charcoal, and eight per cent. of brimstone; having such materials uniformly distributed throughout and formed into asingle substance with a grain uniform throughout, whereby the product is rendered semismokeless, has a high velocity but compara tively low pressure, and is stable and uniform in strength,

Signed this 13th day of November, 1897, in

the presence of the subscribing witnesses. GERSHOM MOORE PETERS.

Witnesses:

0. E. PETERS, E. F. GARRETT. 

